Letter: Bluffton needs good voter turnout

Bluffton is one of the fastest growing towns in the State of South Carolina. According to the census, Bluffton’s population grew from 2,298 people in the year 2000 to 12,530 people in 2010. This is roughly a 450 percent increase in 10 years! However, based on the diminutive voter turnout lately when the town holds an election you could never tell.

A contributing factor to this small turnout is a change that was made back in 2009. The mayor and council decided to move the local election to “odd years”, which in turn looks to have reduced voter turnout. In 2009, roughly 9 percent of Bluffton’s voters went to the polls for the local election. This represents a significant drop from the previous year (2008) when 66 percent voted!

In this year’s election, Mayor Lisa Sulka so far looks uncontested; however, two seats on the Town Council are being contested. The incumbents are being challenged by two newcomers to politics — Karen Lavery and Ted Huffman. It would be great to see some fresh faces up there with fresh ideas looking to grow Bluffton in the right direction. After all, having the town governed by the same small group of politicians who keep getting elected by the same small group of individuals is not the best way to ensure that great things will happen.

Hey Bluffton, we’re better than that! This is your chance to make a difference where you live. Get out and vote! Remember, Election Day is Nov. 8.